


terrible beautiful things

by handschuhmaus



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Locked In
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:15:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23774431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/handschuhmaus/pseuds/handschuhmaus
Summary: An encounter with the monstrous, one might say.But being trapped in a room with each other leads to something of a change in outlook for two young boys.
Relationships: Rubeus Hagrid & Tom Riddle
Kudos: 5





	terrible beautiful things

To Rubeus Hagrid, Tom Riddle had always been one more human who seemed to have none of the understanding of him that so many creatures did. If you understood what they were on about, and that they weren't necessarily _nice_ , even acromantulas were neat to be around. People, though--unlike his da, most of them liked to laugh at clumsy, tall, "brutish" Hagrid. Some were worse because they didn't do their laughing openly. 

Then again... some humans, kind of like Hagrid, were skittish or scared or...feral. He already knew even dogs could be like that. He'd never thought about Tom Riddle being that way.

But then--now--they were trapped, in a disused classroom containing a couple of broken desks, a dusty wardrobe that wouldn't stay shut, and a large cobra. And neither had a wand, because Professor Amberthorn had decided a half-giant couldn't be trusted with one outside of classes, and Riddle (who was the more accomplished magic user, true, as a fourth year) had dropped his and--horrible luck--it had dropped through the one crack in the wooden floor that was big enough to let it through. 

For some reason the door had locked behind them. Maybe this was supposed to be a storage room now and lock automatically, but that didn't seem very safe to Hagrid. 

Riddle was banging his fists against the door, but not very methodically. He was more like a caged creature going hysterical with frustration. "Let us out! Let me OUT!" he said, and then let out a strange series of hisses. The cobra hissed back.

Riddle, breathing heavily, turned to look at Hagrid with a sort of defensive confusion. He wasn't entirely sure why, and if Riddle was a ...what did they call it? Could speak to snakes, Parselmouth, yeah--he thought that was interesting, maybe even jealousy provoking.

"Aren't you going to fuss about me speaking to snakes?" the Slytherin asked. His tone was cold but he spoke each word very carefully, as if self-conscious about how he was speaking. Hagrid wondered if he also had an accent, or has had, rather. 

"Do ye like them?" he asked back. Riddle, almost reflexively, lowered his hands even though he did not actually hold a wand just now. 

"I can talk to them. They've been better to me than humans most times," the older boy allowed.

"A lot of creatures are like that," agreed Hagrid, nodding.

Riddle inhaled deeply, like he was reassessing things. "How are we going to get out of here?" he asked, not that Hagrid knew.


End file.
